When You're Older
by Forever Kissing
Summary: Rolf just wants to try it out, but it seems like Shinon is always using the same old phrase. One Shot. Rolf x Shinon


_Never thought my first Fire Emblem fic would be about such a massively under-appreciated pairing, but I can't get it out of my head. They have the BEST support conversations, too._

…

Rolf wasn't very old when he picked up a bow for the first time. It was a crisp autumn morning and almost everyone in the Greil Mercenaries was out on a job. The lime haired boy was only toddling around as a five year old left at the base to be babysat.

The sitting was usually done by one of the more generous mercenaries, or kindly ones. It was usually done by someone who cared about these children, such as their family. Rolf was the youngest, of course, still learning how to function in his life and always getting into trouble. Mist was the next on the annoying chart—about seven and a half and without the ability to think for herself: Rolf would simply ask her to reach whatever it was he wanted to play with, be it toys, food, or weapons, and she did it. If that didn't work, they would move on to the next in line of power: Ike. Ike was roughly ten, and getting tall enough to bother the adults. To little Rolf, Ike was a deity—he could reach _anything_.

They were average kids, running around acting like just that: average kids. To most of the Mercenaries they weren't hard to deal with. However, that fateful day they Mercenaries needed all the help they could get: healers, older brothers, even Greil himself. They were forced to leave behind only the person who couldn't fight that day: a feverish Shinon.

Shinon would deny that he was too sick to fight until he died on the battle field, but they wouldn't have it. They saw his face was flushed, they heard his congested voice, and Rhys determined he had a fever. That was the end of it. A sick sniper wasn't a helpful sniper.

So he was left to his illness and the three little monsters. That morning the group left and Oscar left hot tea for the sniper. Shinon of course, rejected it.

By mid afternoon he was ready to accept he wanted the tea. He wrapped a small blanket over his shoulders and started for the kitchen. It was cool and calm, and remarkably quiet for the children. Too quiet, even. He looked across the way between the mess hall and the sleeping quarters and saw Ike climbing a short tree—a fall from that wouldn't be fatal—and Mist drawing in the dirt with a stick.

He didn't see Rolf right away, but he would find him after he got his tea. He felt like his head was swollen and heavy.

Tea in hand, steaming happily in the cool air, Shinon began his walk back to the sleeping quarters, keeping an eye out for Rolf along the way. There was no sign of the boy, and Shinon was about to go ask Ike when he saw the glint of metal only a few yards in the distance.

His first instinct was there was an enemy, and he should hide. His second thought said that no enemy would be that short. He looked closer and saw Rolf, holding the sniper's bow and an arrow, trying to figure out the mechanics of it.

Shinon dropped the blanket and tea and sprinted to close the distance between himself and the child. In one swift movement he whipped arrow and the bow out of Rolf's hands.

"What are you, stupid?" He shouted to the best of his hoarse ability, slinging the bow across his shoulder and gripping the arrow tightly. With nothing to put it in, he just twiddled it in his hand.

Rolf looked up into Shinon's eyes, rosy cheeked, and pouted. "Unca Shi-in, I wanta learn the bow." He put up his hands, as if he wanted a hug or to be picked up, but Shinon ignored it gracefully.

"You're too young to learn to use a bow." Shinon growled. Some people would argue that Shinon himself was too young to be a sniper, only twenty years old. They would say he had more to live for than killing others from a distance. He was at the age where he should be focused on women, starting a family, building a nest. Shinon knew from an early age that he wasn't made for settling down and having children. Particularly there was one crazy old man in the village who seemed to think it was almost a _sin_ not to drop the bow and make a family. He must not have been fond of mercenaries.

"B-but! I wanta be like you!" Rolf's eyes welled up a little bit and Shinon rolled his eyes. As if some stray tears would bother him—he'd been putting up with Ike's crybaby tantrums for a decade. But seeing the glassy tears roll down from those shining green eyes the sniper felt a tug at his heart.

"St—!" Shinon stopped mid sentence to sneeze, which hurt his throat and made his head throb all over again. "Stop it." He finished, wiping his nose and mouth with the back of his sleeve. "Grow up and maybe I'll teach you when you're older."

Rolf nodded. When he was older… a reasonable answer.

…..

Rolf was eleven when he was sick of waiting to be "older". He waited for the mercenaries to go their separate ways and once he ditched Mist he was able to sneak into Shinon's room and snatch up one of his bows. He was older now, he would be able to figure this out _easy_. At least, at his current age, he knew how the bow worked.

He slinked off into the forest where he knew that Shinon had pinned targets to trees. He was sure that he had only spent a few moments there, but he heard the crunch of twigs behind him.

He span around and pointed the bow at the intruder, only to see Shinon jump out of his skin and move away. "Uncle Shinon!"

"What the _hell_?" Shinon choked, a little embarrassed that he had let himself flinch that visibly.

Rolf looked at the bow in his hands and blushed. He was about to get in trouble—he had meant to replace the bow before the group returned. How had he been found so quickly? Had he made some kind of noise?

Shinon snatched the bow from the boy and snarled. "Why do you keep taking these? You're making yourself out to be a thief!"

Rolf shook his head and frowned. "No, I was just…" He looked over at the tree and blushed more. Shinon's targets were littered with holes from the tips of arrows, but not one of them were shot from Rolf. "I was _trying_ to be like you."

Shinon opened his mouth to shout, but followed Rolf's gaze to the tree. His eyes landed on one single arrow, lodged about a foot under the target and off to the left. He narrowed his eyes. "Is this the _first time_ you've taken this bow?" He looked over the bow—one that he wouldn't use anymore. It was flimsy and the bowstring was a little bit shredded.

Rolf nodded. "I never went into your room before this. I'm sorry Uncle Shinon—I won't do it again."

"Did you shoot that one from here?" Shinon nodded at the arrow, and Rolf frowned.

"If I said I shot it from farther away would you be less disappointed in me?"

"I couldn't have hit that tree on my first day if you paid me." Shinon smirked. "Maybe you've got talent."

Rolf went wide eyed. "Will you teach me, uncle Shinon?"

Shinon picked up one of the arrows that rested at their feet. "When you're older."

Rolf nodded, a smile on his face. When he was older—then he could learn.

…..

It was a year later when Shinon came into his room to find Rolf snooping again. He held in his hands a short wooden bow that was made of really light wood. The string was strong and shiny and the wood was freshly polished. The handle was gently curved to be more comfortable in hand.

"You keep sneaking in here and I'll have to get a damn guard." Shinon frowned, crossing his arms. "Why don't you go annoy your brothers?"

"Shinon…" Rolf bit his lip and looked down at the shimmery new bow in his lap. "What is this?"

Shinon was _going_ to keep his reputation, no matter what Rolf thought of him. He was determined not to show any emotion. "That's what we grownups call a bow."

"Can you even use this?" Rolf raised a little green eyebrow.

Shinon snickered. "Why do you ask that?"

"It's so small!" Rolf exclaimed, going over it with his fingers. "I mean, your bows are all bigger, and they're mostly metal and this one… This is so tiny it looks like it was meant for… a kid…" His eyes grew round and he stared up and Shinon who still had his arms crossed and a smirk plastered on his face. "…Uncle Shinon?"

"It was supposed to be for your birthday, you little rat." Shinon rolled his eyes. "So when I teach you, you don't get tired too quickly."

Rolf dropped the bow and hugged Shinon tightly. "Thank you!" He beamed, squeezing his arms around the sniper.

Shinon rolled his eyes again and pushed Rolf away from him. "Don't get attached." He looked at the bow, tossed aside and frowned. "Did you find the quiver too, thief?"

Rolf grinned big and watched Shinon cross the room to fetch a black quiver full of short arrows. "Here are the rules." Shinon began to speak, but for a moment Rolf thought it was a joke. It took a few seconds of that firm voice to confirm that the red head was serious. "You don't shoot unless I say, you don't shoot without me there with you, and you _never_ tell anyone I taught you."

Rolf nodded, excitedly turning the bow over in his hands. "Do you think I'll be as good as you?"

Shinon rolled his eyes. "Maybe when you're older."

Rolf nodded to himself. That was right—these things took time.

….

Eight years came and went and Rolf was known for his sniper skills. He was sought out as a teacher to show people the ways of the arrow, and he was still only 20 years old. He had to admit, he rarely saw a lot of his old friends anymore. Mostly it was just his brothers and Mist, since she had married Boyd.

At least once a week though he still saw Shinon, who he still felt was his teacher. He would shoot targets with him and they would stand in silence, usually only swapping a few words. Rolf was sure they would do that until they died, at this rate, and Shinon still wouldn't admit Rolf had surpassed him.

This particular time though, Rolf had no intention of bringing his bow. He just wanted to _talk_. He wanted to do some quality bonding with his master, to get to know him more. It was crazy how he had known Shinon since before he could remember, but the young man still hardly knew more than his name.

Shinon stood waiting in the same spot in the forest, bow in hand and some shots already fired. He observed that Rolf was unarmed and lowered his own weapon. "You forget something?"

"Shinon…" Rolf smiled. "Let's chat."

The red head grunted and slid down a tree to the ground. "What do you want to talk about, then?"

"You." Rolf said, sitting across from him, cross legged.

Shinon disagreed. "I don't talk about me—it's too personal."

"Are you married? Do you have a family?" Rolf began, regardless of his teacher's lack of enthusiasm.

"What? Rolf, don't you think you would have _met_ my family if I had it?" He shook his head. "What's with the talking?"

"Just… I met an old man the other day, and he told me something that made me think."

Shinon raised a curious eyebrow. He knew only of one old man that could say something to really bother someone like Rolf. "What did he say?"

"He said…" Rolf frowned, "He said that I shouldn't be so focused on fighting—that I should take my life in strides. He told me I had forever to use a bow, but I was only young once. Then he went on about if I didn't start my life now it would be too late later."

Shinon rolled his eyes. "He's wrong—you're not anywhere near an age where you should worry about never having a family, and you _have_ a life." He knew he was speaking in hypocrisy but he chose to overlook that.

"Shinon… Have you ever fallen in love?"

"…" Shinon didn't even know how to respond to that. Yes? No? It was complicated. "Rolf, don't be stupid."

Rolf frowned. "You know, right? When you think about someone all the time, feel good around them? You feel safe, happy, but still a little nervous because you know that this person is more important than anyone else in the world?"

The older man rolled his eyes. "Seems like you know what you're talking about. If you have it down so well, why are you pestering me about it?"

"I want you to have it. Don't you feel that way? Don't you have someone you care about more than anything else?"

Shinon rolled his eyes again. "You're the closest one to me, Rolf. If I had someone like that in my life, you would know." He met the green eyes in front of him. "Seriously, don't worry about it. You've got all the time in the world. I'm just… not interested in hunting down that life right now. It's too much of a hassle, dating, and I'm too old to deal with it."

Rolf half-laughed. "You're thirty five!"

Shinon shook his head. "It's too much work. Maybe if I was younger—maybe I would have done something differently, but…"

Shinon was suddenly very aware that Rolf had crawled forward on his hand and knees and was practically straddling him. He felt an unfortunate blush creep into his cheeks while the young man pushed his lips onto his own.

Maybe he shouldn't have felt that way, but when the younger sniper gently licked Shinon's lips his first instinct was to open his mouth a little. Eventually, after the kissing didn't stop right away, Shinon decided to try to dominate it: he did have a reputation to upkeep.

Rolf pulled back and wiped his lips on his sleeve. Shinon raised an eyebrow, but then shook his head. "Look, Rolf… this is… I mean, you might find a girl you really like when you're older, and…"

Rolf silenced him with another kiss, and then hugged his idol tightly.

Shinon rolled his eyes and Rolf smiled.

"Shinon… you're not getting any younger."

And he nodded, in complete agreement.


End file.
